PeopleBrowsr launches startup accelerator for social apps in San Francisco

PeopleBrowsr is launching PeopleBrowsr Labs today, a startup accelerator where social media-focused developers can build their apps in a collaborative and supported setting.

The San Francisco space will house between 20 and 30 individuals, all of whom will have access to PeopleBrowsr’s social API, which contains more than 100 terabytes of social data from sites such as Twitter and Facebook — data that goes back to 2008, which, in the world of social media apps, is pretty paleolithic. The accelerator will also give developers access to large brands that might be willing to bankroll a good idea or two.

For $600 per month, per seat, developers and budding entrepreneurs will be able to bring their ideas to life in what PeopleBrowsr API product manager Travis Wallis called “a coworking space on steroids that is also social media-focused.”

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The app-makers will also get a $1,000 monthly credit for SoftLayer infrastructure services.

Developers won’t be the only ones getting support services; marketing and business types (or those who must wear marketing and business hats in solo or duo startup scenarios) will also get help in the form of a Pereira & O’Dell partnership. The agency’s new podCONNECT division will provide mentorship in the strategy, design and UX departments. And of course, the agency will help the entrepreneurs and developers pitch their ideas and apps, mostly to brands rather than to investors and consumers, said Wallis.

Brands will be something of a focus at PeopleBrowsr Labs. After all, consumers aren’t the ones who pay for their free social media apps; brands do. So in addition to serving as a social app hatchery, the Lab will focus on branded experiences. “We want to bring in brands that want to learn about best practices, so we’ll have events here. And we’re vetting companies to help brands and agencies be more effective when connecting with consumers,” said Wallis.

“The idea for PeopleBrowsr is to take the collective memory — that is, social data — and turn it into collective intelligence,” Wallis concluded. “We want to push forward the social media revolution… You hear all these people talking about social media ROI; I don’t even think we’re close to that yet.”

The accelerator will be located at 474 Bryant Street in the SoMa district of San Francisco. Interested startups with between one and five employees or founders can apply for a spot online now.